The VSU Foundation has invited SAVE to dinner Monday. No agenda is known, but the Foundation gets four attendees and SAVE gets two.

Foundation attendees are to be:

• Wayne Edwards, Chairman, who responded to SAVE’s fossil fuel divestment request with “your well-intentioned request is impractical”. According to Georgia Secretary of State, he is also the Foundation’s CFO.
• Carolyn Eager, who is on the Foundation investment committee. She resigned as chair of the Industrial Authority in 2009, and was one of three former VLCIA chairs who in 2011 published a statement backing school system consolidation.
• John Crawford, CEO, who is also Vice President for University Advancement. and was on the inauguration steering committee for
• William J. McKinney, ninth president of VSU, and ex-officio VSU Foundation board member, who at the solar canopy inauguration said “I am committed to developing a culture of sustainability on this campus”.

The two attendees from Students Against Violating the Environment (S.A.V.E.), each apparently twice as heavyweight as a Foundation Trustee, will be:

• Danielle Jordan, President, who said at the solar canopy ceremony, “Anytime we use coal or natural gas we are linked to fracking and of course climate change”. She wrote a response to Wayne Edwards’ letter, after which the VSU Environmental Issues Committee backed divestment and the VSU Faculty Senate approved with only one nay this resolution:

  Whereas the tone of the letter is patronizing, condescending and dismissive; whereas the letter is written and presented on VSU letterhead and therefore apparently represents VSU administrative thought- We the Faculty Senate condemn and reject the letter written and sent by Wayne Edwards, Chairman of the Investment Committee of the VSU Foundation Board of Trustees in response to the President of S.A.V.E. and that groups concerns and efforts toward foundation divestment from companies or funds supporting fossil fuel extraction.

• Benjamin Vieth, a VSU grad student pursuing an MA in history, is active about fossil fuel issues as far away as Madison, Florida.

No faculty (other than Dr. McKinney) were invited.

This should be an interesting dinner.

-jsq

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